Apparatus and method to visually view high-dose-radiation apparatus used to verify quality assurance

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for testing a high-dose-rate afterloader machine comprising an image capturing device that used to capture a plurality of still images or a real-time video, wherein said image capturing device further comprises, a zoom lens, a microphone and a light, a measurement ruler that is located on a base plate; a plurality of calibration points located on the said base plate, a source insert that connects to said high-dose-rate afterloader machine to one end, wherein said source insert allows entry of a radioactive pellet and a source wire into one end, and an adjustable shaft that is connected to said base plate and connected to said image capturing device.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 120 to and is adivisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/333,404,filed on Dec. 21, 2011, hereby incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention generally relates to a method and an apparatus for avisual detection device and a sound detection device to ascertain thepositional, temporal accuracy of an afterloader machine or afterloaderdevice through the use of software calculations in addition todetermining the activity of the radioactive source through use of theradiation detectors placed within the device or by image processing, tovisually and audibly monitor a patient treatment delivery and ascertainits accuracy, to visually and audibly ascertain the positional andtemporal accuracy of a patient high dose rate brachytherapy radiationplan.

BACKGROUND

Brachytherapy, also known as internal radiotherapy, sealed sourceradiotherapy, curietherapy or endocurietherapy, is a form ofradiotherapy where a radiation source is placed inside or next to thearea requiring treatment either permanently or temporarily. The two mostcommon forms of brachytherapy are Low-Dose-Radiation (hereafter referredto as “LDR”) and High-Dose-Radiation (hereafter referred to as “HDR”).Prior systems, in the HDR treatment, the radioactive source is locatedin an afterloader machine. The afterloader machine contains a singlehighly radioactive pellet at the end of a wire. The pellet is pushedinto each of the catheters one by one under a computer control. Thecomputer system is operated by medical personnel who control theafterloader machine to determine the amount of time the pellet stays ineach catheter and also determines the location of the pellet aspredetermined by a radiation plan and radiation prescription. With a fewwell-placed catheters in or near the target, HDR brachytherapy canprovide a very precise and effective treatment that takes only a fewminutes. In contrast to LDR brachytherapy where treatment may take up 2to 3 days or external beam radiation which can take up to 6 weeks, theHDR treatment is delivered over a period of minutes, either for a singletreatment, or a plurality of treatments as prescribed by the radiationoncologist. This type of treatment has many benefits, since theafterloader controls the radiation source, and radiation exposure to thepatient, doctors, and hospital staff is reduced. After the HDRtreatment, the pellet retracts into the afterloader. The patient is notexposed to radiation. However, a disconcertingly larger number ofmisadministrations of radiation with HDR machines have been documented.Specifically, if a pellet is programmed to dwell at a position notindicated by the prescription, the patient will receive a large dose ofradiation to healthy tissue and not receive any therapeutic radiation tothe targeted region, and likely injuring the patient. Therefore, thereis a need to have a device that can report a problem with theprogramming of the HDR machine. Additionally, federal and state lawdictate that HDR machines must be tested every day prior to treatment,and every month. Currently, the tests are done through the use of eitherradiochromic film or radiographic film. Radiographic film requires theradioactive pellet to be programmed to dwell at a specific position onthe film. The film is then developed, and the positional accuracyascertained subsequently. With radiochromic film, the procedure isidentical except that the film does not require development. Bothquality assurance procedures incur significant costs as radiochromicfilm is expensive, and a film development room is expensive to maintain.Additionally, this quality assurance routine is contraindicative of thefederal mandate to transition to a paperless hospital environment.Hence, there is a need in the art for a digital, cost-effective solutionto the quality assurance of the HDR unit.

The afterloader machine has many different parts. Currently, theafterloader machine has a computer control, a vault, a driving systemthat is connected to the computer control, a plurality of connectionports that is attached to transfer tubes, and cable wires or solid metalwires. The afterloader machine has a long cable wire or solid metal wireattached to a radioactive source located inside the vault. The computersystem will initiate the drive system, which is a very large motor thatpushes the metal wire outside of the connection port and then into atransfer tube and eventually to a catheter inserted in a patient forirradiation. The vault is located at the base, and is the starting pointfrom where the driving system pushes out the cable wire or solid metalwire outside the connection ports. The vault is a shielded containerdesigned to protect individuals from radiation of the pellet while notreatment is being delivered. The computer system can push a single ormultiple wires concurrently into the catheter therefore irradiating avolume. The afterloader can place a radioactive pellet within less thanone millimeter accuracy, but its accuracy must be confirmed prior topatient treatments, every month, and every time maintenance operationsare performed on the unit as per federal and state regulations. Sincethe pellet's radioactivity will decay, source changes occur every two tosix months. After every source change, a large number of tests must beperformed to ascertain the accuracy of the device has not beencompromised. Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art wouldappreciate a system that can test the pellets that have being changed inthe afterloader.

Current methods in ascertaining the spatial accuracy of the radioactivepellet implement the use of radiographic or radiochromic film. In eithercase, the film is placed on a ruler-based jig and the radioactive pelletis sent into the jig for a predetermined time. The radiation darkens thefilm, which is then analyzed that the darkening is in the correct place.Both films suffer from costs (radiochromic film is expensive whileradiographic film requires a film development dark room with regularmaintenance). Additionally, whereas the procedure allows for aqualitative pass-fail assessment, a quantitative measurement of theaccuracy of the pellet placement cannot be readily ascertained.

Government regulations such as 10 CFR Part 35, Medical Use of aByproduct Material require facilities to test the temporal andpositional accuracy of the pellet prior to patient treatments. Withusing radiocromic or radiographic film for testing, significant costsare incurred due to the time and equipment necessary to satisfy themandate. Therefore, there is a need to one of ordinary skill in the artto have a testing machine that can quickly test HDR afterloaderprecision while reducing the cost of regulated government testing.

Also to maintain government licenses, each facility is required toproduce documentation for required testing. Film inherently decomposesover time, and hence the testing record can be compromised.Additionally, film and film development equipment is expensive to obtainand to maintain, additionally, by having film as the testing device, adigital record of the testing is highly inconvenient due thenecessitation of scanning the films. All these factors result inadditional expenditures to maintain records and perform the necessarytests, and indirectly affect the patients' treatment costs. Therefore,one of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate a need for a digitalsystem that conveniently stores, records and performs all the necessarytesting prior to patient delivery.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

According to one general aspect, an apparatus for testing a high doserate afterloader machine comprising an image capturing device that isused to capture a plurality of still images or a real-time video,wherein said image capturing device further comprises, an optional zoomlens, a microphone, an optional light source, a measurement ruler thatis located on a base plate, a plurality of calibration points located onthe said base plate, a source insert that connects to saidhigh-dose-rate afterloader machine to one end, wherein said sourceinsert allows entry of a radioactive pellet and a source wire into oneend, and an adjustable shaft that is connected to said base plate andconnected to said image capturing device.

In addition, the apparatus for calibrating said high-dose-rateafterloader machine or afterloader device further comprising said baseplate may contain a plurality of source inserts, and wherein, said imagecapturing device may make measurements, simultaneously or individually,for each said pellet and said source wire. Further, the apparatus forcalibrating said high-dose-rate afterloader machine further comprisingsaid image capture device communicates with said microphone and usesinformation from both said image capture device and said microphone toadjust said high-dose-rate afterloader machine. Also, the apparatus forcalibrating a high-dose-rate afterloader machine further comprises atransition-in-timer, wherein said transition-in-timer is associated withsaid image capture device, a dwell timer, wherein said dwell timer isassociated with said image capture device and said microphone, and atransition-out-timer, wherein said transition-out-timer is associatedwith said microphone. In addition, the apparatus for testing ahigh-dose-rate afterloader machine further comprises a battery, wherein,said battery is connected to said image capture device, and a wirelesstransmitter, wherein, said wireless transmitter communicates all theinformation from said image capture device, said light, said zoom lens,and said microphone.

In another general aspect, there is provided a method of testing inreal-time a high-dose-rate afterloader apparatus or afterloader devicecomprising enabling an apparatus, initiating self-calibration andtesting all functional equipment, acquiring one or more images from animage capture device, monitoring sound levels from a microphone,starting a transition-in-timer when a sound level reaches above apredetermined threshold value, ending said transition-in-timer andsimultaneously starting a dwell timer, ending said dwell timer andsimultaneously starting a transition-out-timer; and deactivating saidimage capturing device. Also, in the method for testing in real-time ahigh-dose-rate afterloader apparatus, wherein said transition-in-timerfurther comprises running the transition-in-timer until motion isdetected by said image capture device. Further, in the method fortesting in real-time a high-dose-rate afterloader apparatus orafterloader device, wherein said dwell timer further comprises capturingimages at a predetermined interval, performing image noise analysis, andrunning the dwell timer until sound is detected above a predeterminedthreshold value by a sound detection device or sound detector, such assaid microphone. In addition, in the method for testing in real-time ahigh-dose-rate afterloader apparatus, wherein said transition-out-timerfurther comprises running said transition-out-timer until sound isdetected below a predetermined threshold value by said microphone.

In another general aspect there is provided a method of post-analysisfor testing a high-dose-rate afterloader apparatus comprising enablingan apparatus, initiating self-calibration and testing all functionalequipment, acquiring one or more images from a image capture device,deactivating said image capturing device, loading said one or moreimages for analysis, monitoring sound levels from a microphone duringsaid analysis of one or more images, starting a transition-in-timer whena sound level reaches above predetermined threshold value during saidanalysis of one or more images, ending said transition-in-timer andsimultaneously starting a dwell timer during said analysis of one ormore images, and ending said dwell timer and simultaneously starting atransition-out-timer during said analysis of one or more images. Inaddition, the method post-analysis for testing a high-dose-rateafterloader apparatus wherein said transition-in-timer further comprisesrunning transition-in-timer until motion is detected by said imagecapture device. Further, the method of post-analysis for testing ahigh-dose-rate afterloader apparatus wherein said transition-in-timerfurther comprises capturing images at a predetermined interval,performing image noise analysis, and running dwell timer until sound isdetected above a predetermine threshold value by said microphone. Also,the method post-analysis for calibrating a high-dose-rate afterloaderapparatus wherein said transition-in-timer further comprises runningsaid transition-out-timer until sound is detected below a predeterminedthreshold value by said microphone.

In another general aspect there is provided a non-transitory computerreadable medium comprising a computer program stored thereon to test ahigh-dose-rate afterloader device, the computer program comprising a setof instructions that, when executed by a computer, causes the computerto perform the following operations enabling an apparatus, initiatingself-calibration and testing all functional equipment, acquiring one ormore images from a image capture device, monitoring sound levels from amicrophone, starting a transition-in-timer when a sound level reachesabove predetermined threshold value, ending said transition-in-timer andsimultaneously starting a dwell timer, ending said dwell timer andsimultaneously starting a transition-out-timer; and deactivating saidimage capturing device. In addition, the non-transitory computerreadable medium relating to the computer program further comprisesinstructions that, when executed by the computer, causes the computer toperform the following operations of running transition-in-timer untilmotion is detected by said image capture device. Also, thenon-transitory computer readable medium relating to the computer programfurther comprises instructions that, when executed by the computer,causes the computer to perform the following operations capturing imagesat a predetermined interval, performing image noise analysis, andrunning dwell timer until sound is detected above a predeterminethreshold value by said microphone. Further, the non-transitory computerreadable medium relating to the computer program further comprisesinstructions that, when executed by the computer, causes the computer toperform the following operations running said transition-out-timer untilsound is detected below a predetermined threshold value by saidmicrophone.

In another general aspect there is provided a non-transitory computerreadable medium comprising a computer program stored thereon tocalibrate a high-dose-rate afterloader device, the computer programcomprising a set of instructions that, when executed by a computer,causes the computer to perform the following operations enabling anapparatus, initiating self-calibration and testing all functionalequipment, acquiring one or more images from a image capture device,deactivating said image capturing device, loading said one or moreimages for analysis, monitoring sound levels from a microphone duringsaid analysis of one or more images, starting a transition-in-timer whena sound level reaches above predetermined threshold value during saidanalysis of one or more images, ending said transition-in-timer andsimultaneously starting a dwell timer during said analysis of one ormore images, and ending said dwell timer and simultaneously starting atransition-out-timer during said analysis of one or more images. Inaddition, the non-transitory computer readable medium relating to thecomputer program further comprises instructions that, when executed bythe computer, causes the computer to perform the following operations ofrunning transition-in-timer until motion is detected by said imagecapture device. Also, the non-transitory computer readable mediumrelating to the computer program further comprises instructions that,when executed by the computer, causes the computer to perform thefollowing operations capturing images at a predetermined interval,performing image noise analysis, and running dwell timer until sound isdetected above a predetermine threshold value by said microphone.Furthermore, the non-transitory computer readable medium relating to thecomputer program further comprises instructions that, when executed bythe computer, causes the computer to perform the following operationsrunning said transition-out-timer until sound is detected below apredetermined threshold value by said microphone.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a front view of the apparatus.

FIG. 2 illustrates a top view of the apparatus.

FIG. 3 illustrates a top view of the apparatus with multiple sourceinserts.

FIG. 4 illustrates a side view of the apparatus.

FIG. 5 illustrates a perpendicular front view of the apparatus.

FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary real-time testing method.

FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary post-analysis testingmethod.

FIG. 8 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary transitions-in method.

FIG. 9 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary dwell time method.

FIG. 10 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary transitions-out.

FIG. 11 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary multiple dwell mode.

FIG. 12 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary timer for multiple dwellmode.

FIG. 13 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary warning system for theafterloader apparatus.

While the invention will be described in connection with the preferredembodiment, it will be understood that it is not intended to limit theinvention to that embodiment. On the contrary, it is intended to coverall alternatives, modifications, and equivalents, as may be includedwithin the spirit and scope of the invention as to be defined by claimsto be filed in a non-provisional application.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the Summary of the Invention above and in the Detailed Description ofthe Invention, and the claims below, and in the accompanying drawings,reference is made to particular features (including method steps) of theinvention. It is to be understood that the disclosure of the inventionin this specification includes all possible combinations of suchparticular features. For example, where a particular feature isdisclosed in the context of a particular aspect or embodiment of theinvention, or a particular claim, that feature can also be used, to theextent possible, in combination with and/or in the context of otherparticular aspects and embodiments of the invention, and in theinvention generally.

Where reference is made herein to a method comprising two or moredefined steps, the defined steps can be carried out in any order orsimultaneously (except where the context excludes that possibility), andthe method can include one or more other steps which are carried outbefore any of the defined steps, between two of the defined steps, orafter all the defined steps (except where the context excludes thatpossibility).

The invention generally relates to a high dose rate brachytherapyafterloader. Through the use of a visual detector (such as a camera) andthrough the use of software, the positional accuracy of the device canbe verified without the use of film. The addition of radiation detectorsin the device can also then evaluate the source activity, and confirmthe position of the radioactive source.

FIG. 1 illustrates a front view of the apparatus. The apparatus includesa digital camera 1 that directly overlooks the source insert 3. Thesource insert 3 is located on the base plate 2. The base plate 2 is usedto hold the source wire with a radioactive source, such as the pellet.The source insert 3 is supposed to be clear plastic that allows thesource wire to be measured against the measurement ruler 9. The sourceinsert is connected to the transfer tube that is connected to theafterloader machine. The measurement ruler 9 will give the user aphysical and tangible confirmation of the computer's calculated pelletposition. Further, the base plate 2 contains a plurality of calibrationpoints 15. The calibration points 15 are used to performself-calibration tests and self-consistency tests to confirm theintegrity of the device, in addition to image noise analyses. The baseplate 2 is connected to the adjustment shaft 13. The adjustment shaft 13may be adjusted to vary in size. The adjustment shaft 13 is connected tothe digital camera 1, which is used to capture video or a series ofstill images. The digital camera 1 has a zoom lens 5 so that the systemmay zoom into the source insert 3 in real-time for precise testing orfor focusing purposes. The digital camera 1 also contains a light 7,which is used to illuminate clearly the field of view. This light 7provides a contrast to the back of the base plate 2, as well as allowsthe digital camera 1 to have proper visibility. The digital camera 1 isalso associated with a sound detection device or sound detector, such asa microphone 11. The microphone 11 takes into account the sound from theafterloader device. The microphone 11, digital camera 1, light 7, zoomlens 5 and afterloader device are all connected to the computer 4. Thecomputer operation of the apparatus for calibrating a high-dose-rateafterloader including the digital camera 1, the light 7, the zoom lens5, the microphone 11 and the timer operation, as well as the computeroperation of the afterloader device, by the computer 4 will be discussedbelow.

FIG. 2 illustrates the top view of the apparatus. The top viewdemonstrates the angular view of the apparatus. On top is the cameralock 17. The camera lock 17 is used to fix the digital camera in placeand to center the digital camera in the middle of the measurement ruler9. By looking downward, the digital camera will have an aerialperspective of the source wire and pellet. A computer program cancapture the video or series of images and determine the location of thesource pellet, and see if the motor in the afterloader device is pushingthe source wire and pellet to the programmed location accurately. Theruler is used to provide the user a visual assessment of the sourceposition accuracy to correlate to the computer-calculated positionaccuracy. The source insert 3 can be connected to the transfer tube; thetransfer tube may be connected to either side of the apparatus, sinceboth sides are open. In addition, the calibration points 15 are used tocenter the apparatus to the afterloader.

FIG. 3 illustrates a top view of the apparatus with multiple sourceinserts 3 at the base plate 2. The source inserts 3 allow the user totest multiple afterloader channels in one quality assurance setup. It iswell known in the art that afterloaders machines have a plurality ofchannels. Specifically, afterloader manufacturers like Varian andNucletron have afterloader machines that contain up to thirty (30) exitsource wire ports, also known as channels. Clinical treatments can usemore than one afterloader channel, depending on the size and shape ofthe patient's disease. There can be any number of source inserts 3 onthe apparatus; however, only for illustrative purposes we havedemonstrated three. During setup of the system, each source inserts 3will be connected to a single transfer wire. The transfer tube will beconnected to the afterloader machine. By having multiple source inserts,the apparatus is able to view multiple source wires and pellets quicklyfor testing. The calibration points 15 will be used to derive thepositional accuracy of all pellet dwell positions. The measurementmarker 9 will be used to give the user a visual confirmation of thecomputer-derived positional accuracy.

FIG. 4 illustrates a side view of the apparatus. The apparatus isconnected to a battery 23 and a wireless adaptor 21. This figure is usedfor illustrative purposes only, but should not be limited to; since, theapparatus can be hard-wired to a computer via USB, Cable connection,HDMI, or by serial port. The zoom lens 5 can be a physical lens or asoftware based focusing algorithm. The battery 23 is used to power theapparatus. The device can also be powered by a number of other sources,including a USB cable, an electric outlet, or solar panels. Themeasurement ruler 9 can be a physical ruler, a series of markingsdenoting distances, or simply a physical dimension registered viasoftware. The wireless adaptor 21 is used to communicate to the computersystem. This allows for the apparatus to have mobility, and allows fortesting in sterile areas of the medical facility. The computer receivesthe information via wirelessly (via IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE802.11g, IEEE 802.11n, IEEE 802.16, BlueTooth, HomeRF, HiperLan/1,HiperLan/2, OpenAir, and any future protocols) or wired which thencommunicates to the computer or any hand-held device.

FIG. 5 illustrates a perpendicular front view of the apparatus. Thedigital camera is located perpendicular from the base plate 2. Thisprovides an advantage since the viewing direction is downwards, whichdoes not reduce visual performance. By changing the angle, the apparatuswill produce skewed images and error-prone post-processing correctionswould need to be applied, reducing the accuracy and reliability of theresults. Many devices behave differently by changing the horizontal andvertical axis, and also require a user to specify the maximum usableviewing angles in both directions. However, the present invention doesnot require this set, since the apparatus contains a camera lock.Therefore, the perpendicular digital camera is aligned and used tofacilitate greater viewing angle in the vertical level and smaller inthe horizontal level.

FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary real-time testing method.The system is connected to the apparatus as demonstrated in FIG. 1. Thesystem begins by enable devices 31. The enablement of devices is toactivate the digital camera, lens, light, microphone and the afterloaderdevice. The system will then self-calibrate 33. The self-calibration isdone by taking a single image of the source insert to determine thatthere is enough light, if the camera is position correctly and if themicrophone is enabled. The calibration points 15 are then identified,and used to calculate the position of the camera relative to its initialcalibration and hence the integrity of the quality assurance device, andconsequently the accuracy of the expected measurements. After theself-calibration is complete, the system is active and ready to performall testing functions. The system starts by acquire images 34. Thesystem takes a plurality of images in real-time. Also, the system hasinitiated the microphone to determine a sound level threshold. Thesystem will be continuously checking for the sound threshold, if soundlevel is below the threshold, the system will loop back to itself, as initem 35. Once, the sound level is above the threshold value, such as thesound of the motor in afterloader device used to push the source wire,the system will then indicated that sound level is above the thresholdlevel, and will initiate the transition-in 37. When the transition-in iscomplete, the dwell timer 39 will begin to start. Next, as soon as thedwell timer 39 is complete, the transition-out 41 will begin. Last, whenthe transition-out is finished, the system stops to acquire images 38and then display all the results on a display apparatus. The advantageof present inventions is the process allows for quick testing of anafterloader, after the results are displayed and stored on a computerwith the user able to produce copies.

FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary post-analysis testingmethod. The difference between the real-time and post-analysis is thesystem in real-time is making the calculations as the afterloader isperforming all these steps. In the post-analysis testing, theafterloader will perform the entire step of pushing the source wire, andthen holding the source wire, and returning the source wire to theafterloader, which the post-analysis digital camera will store theentire video stream and then perform the analysis thereafter. Theadvantage for this step is, since real-time image processing is highlyprocessor intensive, when the attached computer is unable to performreal-time analyses due to performance limitations, the stored videostream can be analyzed after the full testing is performed. Thepost-analysis system begins by enable devices 31. The enablement ofdevices is to activate the digital camera, lens, light, microphone andthe afterloader device. The post-analysis system will thenself-calibrate 33. The self-calibration is done by taking a single imageof the source insert to determine that there is enough light, if thecamera is position correctly and if the microphone is enabled. Thecalibration points 15 are then identified, and used to calculate theposition of the camera relative to its initial calibration and hence theintegrity of the quality assurance device, and consequently the accuracyof the expected measurements. After the self-calibration 33 is complete,the post-analysis then acquire image 34. After the system has completedcollecting the images, the post-analysis then stop acquire image 36.Then, the system loads the image 38 and begins analysis. After loadingthe images with sound information, the system then monitors sound toreach above the threshold value 35 within the data files. Once thethreshold value has been reached the post-analysis system then beginsthe transition in 37. When the transition-in is complete, the dwelltimer 39 will begin to start. Next, as soon as the dwell timer 39 iscomplete, the transition-out 41 will begin. Last, when thetransition-out 41 is finished, the system stops to analyze image 38 andthen displays all the results on a display apparatus. This leads to theadvantage of a cost effective system that reports problems with anafterloader and satisfies all state and federal laws regarding theregular testing of afterloader devices.

Specifically, with the real-time and post-analysis systems, thetransition-in, dwell timer, and transition-out are performed nearly thesame way. Thus, hereafter, the functionality of the transition-in, dwelltimer and transition-out will be discussed in greater detail below. Theadvantage of having a real-time or post-analysis system, allows themedical facility to test quickly an afterloader device since there wouldbe not film development as well as film analysis; and thus, providing anincreased accuracy of the results.

FIG. 8 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary transition-in method. Thetransition-in-timer 45 is initiated. The run transition-in-timer 47 isthe running of the timer. The timer will run until a function has beenperformed. The transition-in-timer will keep running 47 until thedigital camera 1 detects motion 49. The motion is detected when thesource wire and pellet in the source insert 3 reach near the center ofthe base plate 2. Once the source wire and pellet have stopped movingforward, the system then stops the transition-in-timer 51 and recordsthe amount of time that the source wire and pellet took to reach itsdestination. This transit time is useful in assessing any extra dose tothe patient due to the source transitioning between the source vault inthe afterloader machine or afterloader device to inside the patient.Also, having the digital camera 1 analyze the source wire and pellet, bythis type of system check, allows users to verify that the source wireand radioactive pellet are actually in the patient during theirtreatment. After stopping the transition-in-timer, the system moves tothe next step of dwell timer.

FIG. 9 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary dwell time method. Oncethe system has stopped the transition-in-timer, the system begins thedwell timer. The system runs the dwell timer and starts to capture aseries of images within a predetermined time interval. The systemcaptures the images and performs measurements on the source wire andpellet by comparing it to the measured ruler on the base plate.Depending on the location of the source wire and pellet, for example ifthe source wire and pellet are 0.5 mm to 2.0 mm from the ideal location,scheduled treatments can be timely interrupted to prevent mistreatments.The manual adjustments can be made by a technician to recalibrate themotor on the afterloader device. Next, while the dwell timer is running,the system will then also perform an image noise analysis 59. The imagenoise analysis is used to determine the strength or activity of thepellet. The image noise analysis is done by determining the level ofwhite noise at the calibration points. The level of noise is thencorrelated to a premeasured level, and an activity is calculated fromthe ratio of the current noise level to the premeasured level. Then, thesystem detects for sound to reach over a threshold level 61. Thethreshold for the sound can be met when the after load motor starts topull the source wire and pellet back into the afterloader device. Oncethe sound threshold level is set, the dwell timer stops 63. The dwelltimer is used to measure the amount of time that the source wire andpellet are in the patient. This provides an advantage to confirm theaccuracy of the afterloader's programmed times, as required by state andfederal regulations.

FIG. 10 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary transition-out. Thetransition-out-timer starts 65 as soon as the dwell timer has ended. Thetransition-out-timer runs 67 until the system determines when the soundlevel is below a threshold value 69. An example for the system to reachthis threshold value is when the afterloader terminates the motor topull the source wire and pellet back to the machine. Once the soundlevel is reached, the system will stop the transition-out-timer 71.

Once the system has analyzed and calculated the transition-in times,transition-out times, dwell times, source activity, and dwell positionaccuracy, the system will display this information on a computerapparatus. Additionally, the results are stored on the computer, and theuser is opted to produce a hard copy. Specifically, the information canbe compared to previous analyses for consistency. The advantage forusing the information is as follows. The system can make a comparisonbetween the transition-in-timer and transition-out-timer over a periodof time to see if a trend exists. The system can record each test andprovide a printable report of each time and segment.

FIG. 11 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary multiple dwell mode. Themultiple dwell mode is when there are multiple programmed dwellpositions within source insert tube 3. Each programmed position willdwell at a specific location for a specific time, a dwell time, wheninside the source insert 3. The multiple dwell mode starts 72 and isinitiated by first enabling the device 73. The system begins aself-calibration 77 and thereafter begins to acquire images 79. Theimage can be stored in the system or may be captured in real-time by thecamera. When the system acquires the images, the system starts tomonitor for motion above a threshold value 81. If no motion is detected,the system loops back and continuously checks to determine if there ismotion. When there is motion, the system will then determine the imagenoise 83. The average pixel value and variance in pixel value aredetermined around the four black squares 15, and is analyzed todetermine whether image noise is being caused by the proximity of theradioactive source to the base plate 2, and hence determine that thebrachytherapy source has exited the vault of the afterloader. Thepurpose of this analysis is to determine whether any detected motion isdue to the dummy wire or to the source. The system then determines ifthere is no motion 85. When the system determines there is no motion,this indicates that the source has reached the programmed location. Ifthe system does detect motion, then the system is determining imagenoise 83 and then the system loops back to determine if there is nomotion 85. By continuously checking for image noise, the system ismaking sure that there is a radioactive source. When there is no motion,the system begins the motion dwell timer 87, as illustrated further inFIG. 12. After the timer is complete and the source retracted into theafterloader vault, the system ends the process and displays all theresults 89.

FIG. 12 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary timer for a multipledwell mode. The system begins by starting the motion dwell timer 91. Thesystem begins by activating the timer 93. The system then captures aseries of images at a predetermined interval 95 and then performs animage noise analysis 97. The image noise analysis is used to verify thatthere is a presence of a radioactive source in the source insert tube,as well for determining a strength or an activity of a radioactivesource, as discussed. Then the system determines to see if there ismotion by the radioactive source 99. If there is a radioactive sourcethat starts to move, then the system turns the dwell timer off 101. Ifthe system determines there is no movement, it continues to check formotion. The system then records all the information. Then, the systemdetects for no motion to determine that the radioactive source hasreturned back to the starting position 103. The system, once again,detects if there is image noise 105. If the system determines that thereis image noise above a threshold level, then the system knows that thereis another programmed dwell position to analyze inside the source inserttube 3, and then loops back to the start motion dwell timer for thedwell positions. However, if the system does not detect image noise, thesystem deduces the source has been retracted back into the afterloader'svault.

FIG. 13 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary alarm warning system foran afterloader apparatus. Specifically, the system will monitor thenoise 107. Then the system determines if the noise were to reach athreshold level 109. The threshold level can be reached when the soundof the motor is pushing the radioactive source out or in. Once thesystem is reaches the threshold level, a warning sound will be alarmedout 111. The alarm is used to provide patient protection and notifymedical personnel of manufacturing defects.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method for calibrating in real-time ahigh-dose-rate afterloader apparatus, comprising the steps of: enablinga high-dose-rate afterloader apparatus to provide a radioactive source;acquiring one or more images from visible light by an image capturingdevice to detect the radioactive source; monitoring sound levelsdetected by a microphone corresponding to operation of thehigh-dose-rate afterloader apparatus; starting a transition-in-timerwhen a sound level detected by the microphone reaches above apredetermined threshold value; ending the transition-in-timer when theimage capturing device detects a stop in movement of the radioactivesource and simultaneously starting a dwell timer; ending the dwell timerwhen a sound level detected by the microphone is above a predeterminedthreshold value and simultaneously starting a transition-out-timer; andrunning the transition-out-timer until a sound level is detected below apredetermined threshold value by the microphone.
 2. The method forcalibrating in real-time a high-dose-rate afterloader apparatusaccording to claim 1, further comprising the step of: performing imagenoise analysis to determine a strength or an activity of the radioactivesource.
 3. The method for calibrating in real-time a high-dose-rateafterloader apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising the stepof: performing image noise analysis to verify a presence of theradioactive source.
 4. The method for calibrating in real-time ahigh-dose-rate afterloader apparatus according to claim 1, furthercomprising the step of: performing image noise analysis to determine astrength or an activity of the radioactive source by determining a levelof white noise.
 5. A method for calibrating a high-dose-rate afterloaderdevice, comprising the steps of: positioning at least one source inserton a base plate, the at least one source insert being communicativelyconnected with an afterloader device; capturing a plurality of stillimages or a real-time video from visible light in a visual field of viewof an image capturing device to detect when at least one radioactivesource from the afterloader device is positioned in a correspondingsource insert of the at least one source insert on the base plate and isvisible from the visible light to detection by image capture by theimage capturing device; detecting sound levels by a sound detectorcorresponding to operation of the afterloader device; and providinginformation corresponding to at least one position of a correspondingradioactive source of the at least one radioactive source associatedwith the afterloader device from the captured images or the capturedreal-time video and the detected sound levels.
 6. The method forcalibrating a high-dose-rate afterloader device according to claim 5,further comprising the step of: simultaneously or individually makingmeasurements by the image capturing device corresponding to a positionof the corresponding radioactive source of the at least one radioactivesource when positioned in the corresponding source insert of the atleast one source insert.
 7. The method for calibrating a high-dose-rateafterloader device according to claim 6, further comprising the step of:adjusting the afterloader device from the information provided from boththe image capturing device and the sound detector.
 8. The method forcalibrating a high-dose-rate afterloader device according to claim 5,further comprising the steps of: starting timing by atransition-in-timer when a sound level detected by the sound detector isabove a predetermined threshold value and stopping timing by thetransition-in-timer when the image capturing device detects a stop inmovement of the corresponding radioactive source of the at least oneradioactive source associated with the afterloader device to determine atime period corresponding to a transition-in time of the correspondingradioactive source of the at least one radioactive source to move to aposition; starting timing by a dwell timer when the transition-in-timerstops timing and stopping timing by the dwell timer when a sound leveldetected by the sound detector is above a predetermined threshold valueto determine a time period corresponding to a dwell time of thecorresponding radioactive source of the at least one radioactive sourceat a position; and starting timing by a transition-out-timer when thedwell timer has stopped timing and stopping timing by thetransition-out-timer when a sound level detected by the sound detectoris below a predetermined threshold value to determine a time periodcorresponding to a transition-out time of the corresponding radioactivesource of the at least one radioactive source to move from a position.9. The method for calibrating a high-dose-rate afterloader deviceaccording to claim 8, wherein: the at least one radioactive sourcecomprises at least one radioactive pellet.
 10. The method forcalibrating a high-dose-rate afterloader device according to claim 5,further comprising the step of: wirelessly transmitting information fromthe image capturing device and the sound detector to a computerapparatus for analysis.
 11. The method for calibrating a high-dose-rateafterloader device according to claim 5, further comprising the stepsof: monitoring the sound levels detected by the sound detector; anddetermining whether the detected sound levels are above or below a soundlevel threshold to determine a position of the corresponding radioactivesource of the at least one radioactive source.
 12. The method forcalibrating a high-dose-rate afterloader device according to claim 5,wherein: the at least one radioactive source comprises at least oneradioactive pellet.
 13. The method for calibrating a high-dose-rateafterloader device according to claim 5, further comprising the stepsof: providing a plurality of calibration points on the base plate; anddetermining within the visual field of view of the image capturingdevice a position of the image capturing device relative to an initialcalibration of the image capturing device based on the plurality ofcalibration points.
 14. The method for calibrating a high-dose-rateafterloader device according to claim 5, further comprising the step of:performing image noise analysis to determine a strength or an activityof the corresponding radioactive source of the at least one radioactivesource.
 15. The method for calibrating a high-dose-rate afterloaderdevice according to claim 5, further comprising the step of: performingimage noise analysis to verify a presence of the correspondingradioactive source of the at least one radioactive source.
 16. Themethod for calibrating a high-dose-rate afterloader device according toclaim 5, further comprising the step of: determining a level of whitenoise to determine a strength or an activity of the correspondingradioactive source of the at least one radioactive source.
 17. Themethod for calibrating a high-dose-rate afterloader device according toclaim 16, wherein: the strength or the activity of the correspondingradioactive source of the at least one radioactive source is determinedby a ratio of the determined level of white noise to a premeasured levelof white noise.
 18. The method for calibrating a high-dose-rateafterloader device according to claim 5, wherein: the image capturingdevice comprises a camera, and the sound detector comprises amicrophone.
 19. A method for calibrating a high-dose-rate afterloaderdevice, comprising the steps of: positioning on a base plate at leastone source insert communicatively connected with an afterloader device;capturing a plurality of still images or a real-time video from visiblelight in a visual field of view by a visual detector of an imagecapturing device to detect when at least one radioactive source from theafterloader device is positioned in a corresponding source insert of theat least one source insert on the base plate and is visible from thevisible light to detection by the visual detector of the image capturingdevice; and providing information corresponding to at least one positionof a corresponding radioactive source of the at least one radioactivesource associated with the afterloader device from the captured imagesor the captured real-time video.
 20. The method for calibrating ahigh-dose-rate afterloader device according to claim 19, furthercomprising the step of: performing image noise analysis to determine astrength or an activity of the corresponding radioactive source of theat least one radioactive source.
 21. The method for calibrating ahigh-dose-rate afterloader device according to claim 19, furthercomprising the step of: performing image noise analysis to verify apresence of the corresponding radioactive source of the at least oneradioactive source.
 22. The method for calibrating a high-dose-rateafterloader device according to claim 19, further comprising the stepof: determining a level of white noise to determine a strength or anactivity of the corresponding radioactive source of the at least oneradioactive source.
 23. The method for calibrating a high-dose-rateafterloader device according to claim 22, wherein: the strength or theactivity of the corresponding radioactive source of the at least oneradioactive source is determined by a ratio of the determined level ofwhite noise to a premeasured level of white noise.
 24. The method forcalibrating a high-dose-rate afterloader device according to claim 19,wherein: the image capturing device comprises a camera.
 25. A method forcalibrating a high-dose-rate afterloader device, comprising the stepsof: starting timing by a transition-in-timer by detecting a sound levelby a sound detector that is above a predetermined threshold value andstopping timing by the transition-in-timer by an image capturing devicedetecting a stop in movement of a corresponding radioactive sourceassociated with an afterloader device to determine a time periodcorresponding to a transition-in time of the corresponding radioactivesource to move to a position; starting timing by a dwell timer bystopping timing of the transition-in-timer and stopping timing by thedwell timer by detecting a sound level by the sound detector tat isabove a predetermined threshold value to determine a time periodcorresponding to a dwell time of the corresponding radioactive source ata position; and starting timing by a transition-out-timer by stoppingtiming of the dwell timer and stopping timing by thetransition-out-timer when by detecting a sound level by the sounddetector that is below a predetermined threshold value to determine atime period corresponding to a transition-out time of the correspondingradioactive source to move from a position.
 26. The method forcalibrating a high-dose-rate afterloader device according to claim 25,wherein: the corresponding radioactive source comprises a radioactivepellet.
 27. The method for calibrating a high-dose-rate afterloaderdevice according to claim 25, wherein: the image capturing devicecomprises a camera and the sound detector comprises a microphone.